98 what isrequiredOsto bettors that they maybegood,&e. them forget . theirmortalitie, and toafpirevnto diuinewor. ¡hip. And thus(as I take it) doth this flattering whichgluts vntoPrincesand greatperfonages the highefi andmofltranfcendent titles ofvertue and goodnes,as moll 'nightie,moil excellcnt,mof}high, mofl gracious,mofl di. nine and loch like. Which howfoeuertheymay be cxcufed, that they arenot giuen them abfoluttely,butcomparatiuely in refpe& ofothermen ; or that onely thereby is fgnificd, that theyarevery excellent in thefe things :yet herein thefe phrafes and titles thus afcribed, admit of noexcufe, in that they leauenone that are higher forGod himfelfe; and be- taule menhereby in flew and found ofwords match them- feints with him, which being at leali an apparanceofeuill, Pfa1,8s.r.e. Chrifliansought to auoid. For whereas it maybe alleaged, thatPrinces are Paid m the Scripturestobee Gods; to this I anfwere, that this name is attributed vnto them, not in re- fpe& ofany thing in their perlons, but only in regardof their oftce and miniflerie; becaufc they fland in theplace ofGod,ashis Vicegerents and deputies,and therefore they hauehis title,feeingthey fuflaine his perfon : in which fenfe alto the Lord faithvetoe.961ofes,that he had made himTha- raobxGod,that is, his owns deputie and ambaffadour vnto him. Neither in this refpcil is this title giuenonelyvnto Exod.zi,s.& great Princes,butis common with them unto any inferiour az.8. Msgiflrates,as appeareth in other places. And therefore this titlegiuen vnto them in rcfpeóì oftheir calling andoffice,,, excufeth not thofe, whogiue vntothem Gods peculiar at- tributes,in refpe& oftheir perfons; in which regard if any fhould glue the title ofGodvntoany mortal man,he fhould commit horrible blafphemie,and facrilegious impietic. §.$0.10. But as honour ought not to bee fought vnmeafurably in That bowlers refpe6t ofthe quantitie; foneither immoderatly, and otter . ought sot tobe greedily in rc£peól ofour affeElion : in regard whereofwee immoderately mould rather haue it prefi'ed vpon vs, then fnatch it with dctired. violence; and rather flay till it come voluntarily to attend vpon vertue,then to fend for it inpoll haft ; or to compell it byforce toperforene thiselutie : for as iris not to be reie5ìed wbvnitprofferethitfetuice,foitisnot to beprefld hereun- to,
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